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Well, that was depressing
I played through the Darkspawn Chronicles tonight.
I figured this was going to be depressing, but I didn't think it would be quite that depressing. I felt the first pang when I killed Gorim. This wasn't his fight, not in this universe; he was just very much in the wrong place at the wrong time. Goldanna -- no, she wasn't the nicest person, but neither did she deserve to be cut down by Darkspawn -- the neat little Harron/Wade escape, taking out Oghren, then Wynne -- I did enjoy seeing how the party characters all ended up in Denerim for the final battle by their own different paths -- burning the Alienage. Sten, who was actually the most difficult of all the characters for me to take down. And then, setting up for the final battle, the cut scene that shows Alistair running through the doors of Fort Drakon to take on the archdemon, looking to the sky for help that isn't going to come... I saw his face, and I knew I was going to have to kill him, and I just wanted to cry.
I didn't cry. But it was a near thing.
I do like the idea that, despite his protestations to the contrary, Alistair was able to rise to the occasion, gather the armies, and claim the kingship on his own -- no Warden, no Arl Eamon, just himself and his own abilities. And he made some choices that surprised me: the werewolves, the golems. I have to wonder if that's Morrigan's influence at work. But the very end, when he is fallen, looking at the wreakage of his party and knowing that he has lost.... what a gutpunch. Damn.
I figured this was going to be depressing, but I didn't think it would be quite that depressing. I felt the first pang when I killed Gorim. This wasn't his fight, not in this universe; he was just very much in the wrong place at the wrong time. Goldanna -- no, she wasn't the nicest person, but neither did she deserve to be cut down by Darkspawn -- the neat little Harron/Wade escape, taking out Oghren, then Wynne -- I did enjoy seeing how the party characters all ended up in Denerim for the final battle by their own different paths -- burning the Alienage. Sten, who was actually the most difficult of all the characters for me to take down. And then, setting up for the final battle, the cut scene that shows Alistair running through the doors of Fort Drakon to take on the archdemon, looking to the sky for help that isn't going to come... I saw his face, and I knew I was going to have to kill him, and I just wanted to cry.
I didn't cry. But it was a near thing.
I do like the idea that, despite his protestations to the contrary, Alistair was able to rise to the occasion, gather the armies, and claim the kingship on his own -- no Warden, no Arl Eamon, just himself and his own abilities. And he made some choices that surprised me: the werewolves, the golems. I have to wonder if that's Morrigan's influence at work. But the very end, when he is fallen, looking at the wreakage of his party and knowing that he has lost.... what a gutpunch. Damn.
no subject
Alistair's a champion, no doubt. He does so much on his own, despite all his self-doubt. His strength, his dedication - He only needed a little bit more time or maybe a little bit more help to defeat the entire Blight. It showed that he's the Hero's partner, not her/his lackey.
And I thought the same thing about the golems and werewolves! I wonder if maybe Alistair didn't have a choice in recruiting them? The Warden has to get involved in the dwarves/mages/elves personal/political quests before they honor the contracts; maybe Alistair arrived after all that shit went down?
no subject
(Fortunately, I played a little bit of Awakening not long after finishing DC, and Alistair's cameo near the beginning was just the antidote my fangirl heart needed.)